Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Birthday burnout

Well, I can't believe it, but my youngest just turned 2 yesterday. Since the moment he came into the world, it seems like Dylan has been on fast speed....beginning with how fast he came! (contractions at 2am, born at 5:29 a.m....yeah, it was fast.)
And, boy, was he in party mode when we had his party Sunday. He hardly sat still to do anything, but he was having a BLAST. And, I'm so glad!!! I wanted it to be a fun day for HIM.

(S'mores face!)

Since having kids, I've quickly learned how much pressure can be put on a mom to have the biggest and best parties for their kids. Complete with all the matching decor, perfectly themed food, a schedule of activities for the kids, etc. It's exhausting! You see pictures on Facebook or "pins" on Pinterest of all these wonderful ideas your friends did and wonder to yourself....1) when do they have time to do that?!? 2) why are they so crafty and I can't draw a stick man? or 3) I could never afford to do all that for my kids....I guess they will always be disappointed. 
Well, if that's where you set the mark of what you want out of a party, then yeah, your child AND you will always be disappointed. Obviously there is nothing wrong with having everything perfectly themed and great...but I just know for me, that stuff doesn't come as naturally to me as it does for some people and I'm tired of putting pressure on myself all because of what my friends and family will think. After all, it's for our kids anyway, right?!? If they had fun, then the party was a success! 

For Dylan's party it was all about cows...I ordered him a shirt, some cow balloons, some cute plates, spray painted white tablecloths with black spots, and tried to buy Cowtails at SAM's, but they were sold out (??). I put out a pool full of bubbles and the kids went to town in it! That's it :) Well, the food, but we have to have food! :)

(Dylan with his big cow balloon)


All this to say...I did what I felt comfortable doing for his party without feeling stressed and overwhelmed. It's no fun when mom and dad can't enjoy the party because they are too stressed! Don't put too much pressure on yourself. Make sure that the kids realize that the party itself is a gift from you, as well. There are still plenty of children for whom a party is not the norm. My husband still has a hard time getting used to all the fuss we (I) put into parties and gifts, because that's not how he grew up. And that's ok. He's no worse off for it...;) 

Happy birthday little D! :) 



Also, I wanted to post this link to our pastor's sermon from Mother's Day. It wasn't your "typical" Proverbs 31 sermon...it was titled "The Imperfect Mom". When you have about 30 minutes, give it a listen. :) Very encouraging. http://www.johnstonchapel.org/sermons/library/05-13-12.mp3

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Laundry wars

Thanks to everyone for the encouraging words from my first blog. :)


As I was doing laundry yesterday, Dylan (my youngest, almost 2 yr-old!), came pouncing into the laundry room. And yes, I literally mean pouncing, because the kid never just slowly walks anywhere. It's always a jump, run, pounce, or sprint wherever he goes. Anyway, that's not the point. He came in and one of my biggest annoyances is that the kids love to come in the laundry room and crowd me while I'm trying to get things done. But, I resisted the urge to scoot him back out the door and let him stay. He quickly saw that I was folding the big pile in the basket, so he wanted to help. Well, his idea of helping was throwing each piece as hard as he could towards me, then watch me fold it, put it in the stack it went in, and then repeating til the whole pile was gone. And yes, there were a few socks I didn't catch that ended up behind the dryer.....oh well....I'll see those in a few months! ha! 
Here's the point. Would it have been easier for me to just tell him to leave so that I could work quicker? Of course! Have I done that before? Plenty of times! But for this time I chose to let him help in his unusual way. I caught myself thinking...what can it hurt? He is obviously wanting to help and do it in a fun way. 


I attend our MOPS group at church (Mothers of PreSchoolers). Our speaker a few weeks ago was our pastor, John King. Something he said really stuck with me. He said, "When it's not impossible, say yes." When your kids want to sleep in their clothes instead of pajamas....what's it gonna hurt?? Say yes! When they want to go outside and it's beautiful but you don't want to and have 1,000 things to get done inside. Leave it and go play...tell them yes! When they want you to cover them with every possible blanket in the house before going to bed even though it's 80 degrees outside...say yes! It's not worth the fight and you can always go in and take them off after they are asleep so they don't die from heat stroke (ha!). And yes, we've had this request many times. 
So, yeah, it took me a bit longer to fold that one particular basket of laundry, but it got done and I also felt that I'd gotten a victory in the mommy department (for the fleeting moment that it was). Dylan needed to feel like he helped and I also was not just constantly telling him "no!". I think sometimes we say no, just because it's not convenient for US, not because we have a good reason. 


So my thought for today: When it's not impossible, say yes!






In the beginning....there was a girl who was scared to death about the responsibility of being a wife (first!) and then a mom. Now there are two little ones who rely on her for everything they need and think the world of her. Little do they know that she is still that scared girl, just hoping she brings them up to honor the Lord and doing the best she can, though her failures seem to outweigh her positive contributions. Thankfully for her, they don't see that, and at the end of the day (no matter how bad the day was!),  they wrap their arms around her and tell her they love her. 

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

The beginning...

Well, I've decided to start a blog. I know, I know...if my mom and husband read this they are probably already cringing :). Like I need something else to do! But, I've decided to get back into writing. Now, don't expect any amazing grammatical phrases or words; this is just a blog! I do, however, need this I think mainly to encourage myself! 
This blog is going to be about life as a mom...whether you are a stay-at-home all the time mom, a working mom, or somewhere in the middle (I've been all!), then my goal is that if you choose to read this, you will come away with at least one encouraging thought that will encourage you in your life as a mom and wife. At times, I'm going to be very open and honest about life in the Jones household, but how else are you going to relate?...cause don't go acting like things in YOUR house are perfect! haha! 


Now I certainly do not have any credentials when it comes to being a mom, and therefore will be using thoughts that have encouraged ME in this journey. It's been 3 1/2 years that I've been doing this and never before in my life have I been stretched and pushed so much. Yes, physically, I've gone through much worse (Coach O'Neal's workouts, college basketball pre-season workouts, having babies (!!), etc.), but that's not the kind of stretching and pushing I'm talking about. Being a mom requires things from a woman that is like no other job. The mental and spiritual toll it brings is exhausting! And it's not something you can just leave at the office :). 


So my hope is to write a thought at least a couple times a week (probably more at first and then it'll drop off...haha!). But, I need to do this for myself and hope that you as a reader will be encouraged from it, as well. 


My thought for the day: Yesterday was a rough day in my household. From the minute they were eating their cereal, my kids were just bent on making MESSES. I walked into the room to find Lucky Charms all over the living room floor and couch (yes, my kids eat their breakfast watching TV, don't judge). I won't bore you with all the various ways they chose to irritate me, but they did and my reaction wasn't pretty. At the end of the day, I was so flustered and FURIOUS with myself that I just brokedown. No, it's not always like that around here, so I got to thinking what had changed yesterday to make it such a hard day....and you know what? It was ME! Not my kids. I mean, yeah, they made the messes, didn't listen, got put in timeout 20,000 times, but that stuff isn't usually much different from day to day...the difference yesterday was me and the way I reacted. Stress from other issues spilled over and got the best of me and ruined the day for all 3 of us. My husband is probably very thankful he didn't get home until late!! So, I encourage you to watch your reactions and attitudes carefully because it can affect way more than just yourself. Our kids see that and feed off of it...and also might start to think that yelling and flying off the handle is how they should react to things too! 


Ok, well all my blogs won't be this long, but thanks for reading. 

In the beginning....there was a girl who was scared to death about the responsibility of being a wife (first!) and then a mom. Now there are two little ones who rely on her for everything they need and think the world of her. Little do they know that she is still that scared girl, just hoping she brings them up to honor the Lord and doing the best she can, though her failures seem to outweigh her positive contributions. Thankfully for her, they don't see that, and at the end of the day (no matter how bad the day was!),  they wrap their arms around her and tell her they love her.